A political party named Mera Adhikar Rashtriya Dal (MARD) claims to fight for men's rights while the country is actively discussing women's rights.
The party was founded in 2009 by a group of men who were facing legal issues related to the Dowry Prohibition Act and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.
The political party has participated in seven elections so far. These include the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi and Lucknow, a by-election in Bangarmau in 2020, and the Assembly election from Bareilly, Lucknow North, Bakshi Ka Talab (Lucknow), and Chauri Chaura in 2022. Unfortunately, the party failed to perform well in any of these elections and ended up losing their deposit.
Despite these setbacks, the party - MARD - is gearing up for the 2024 general elections. They are currently in the process of selecting candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, and Ranchi.
One of the party's founders and current president, Kapil Mohan Choudhary, is also running for the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat. However, he has been facing a dowry case since 1999 that remains unresolved even after 25 years.
"I have two kids from my first marriage, both taken away by my ex-wife. Later, I was falsely accused in dowry and domestic violence cases. While fighting these cases in Lucknow, I met many others facing similar charges in similar situations," says 52-year-old Kapil.
"I got divorced, but the dowry case is still ongoing. To highlight men's rights, we formed a political party," says Kapil, who remarried in 2011.
The party's tagline is 'Mard ko dard hota hai' (Men feel the pain).
Sonu Rai and Dhananjay Kumar are candidates from Gorakhpur and Ranchi, respectively.
The party 'MANifesto' has interesting promises, including a 'Ministry of Men's Welfare' and a 'National Commission for Men'.
They also aim to pass a 'Men's Safety Bill' to prevent unfair treatment of men due to laws favouring women and establish a 'Men's Power Line' to assist them with family issues.
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